1. Summary
Six numbers, thirty seconds, and the decisions that are still open.
- 1Epic
- 4Features
- 7Stories
- 21Effort days, declared
- 13Critical path, days
- 3Phases
Reps first see their finished meetings with drafted follow-ups and a CRM update preview. Then they send and apply them with their own approval. The manager gets a weekly view last.
Appetite. Six weeks of two people. 21 effort days over two tracks fits inside it.
Pending decisions by phase. Phase 1: D1; Phase 2: D2; Phase 3: D3
Every date on this page is derived from the start date and the dependencies. Nothing is typed into a card. Durations are declared by the engineering lead, not measured: Acme has no tracker history yet.
2. Delivery phases
Each phase ends with something a person uses, a check, and a production release.
Phase 1: See and draft
Days 1 to 6, 9 Mar to 16 Mar
- What goes live
- The rep opens a daily list of finished meetings, reads a drafted follow-up and sees a CRM update preview. Nothing is sent and nothing is written.
- Why this order
- It proves the data and the draft quality with no customer risk.
- Stories
- US01 Show today's finished meetings with their notesUS02 Draft a follow-up email from the meeting notesUS04 Show a CRM update preview for a finished meeting
- Exit gate
- A rep sees a draft and a preview for a real meeting, and the evals for "no invented facts" pass.
- Decisions it needs
- D1: Can the assistant read transcripts as well as typed notes?
Phase 2: Send and write back
Days 7 to 11, 17 Mar to 23 Mar
- What goes live
- The rep edits and sends the follow-up from their mailbox, and approves a CRM update that is then applied.
- Why this order
- These are the two actions that touch the outside world, so they come after the drafts are trusted.
- Stories
- US03 Send the follow-up after the rep edits itUS05 Apply the CRM update the rep approvedUS06 Block the update when the contact has no CRM match
- Exit gate
- Probes confirm no send and no CRM write without approval, and the success measurement runs on the trail.
- Decisions it needs
- D2: Is a read receipt acceptable on follow-ups?
Phase 3: Manager view
Days 12 to 13, 24 Mar to 25 Mar
- What goes live
- The sales manager sees sent, applied and ignored counts per rep per week.
- Why this order
- It reads the trail that phases 1 and 2 produce.
- Stories
- US07 Show the manager what was sent, applied and ignored
- Exit gate
- Counts reconcile with the trail for one week of test data.
- Decisions it needs
- D3: How long is the trail kept?
Weekly cadence
| Week | Demonstrable | Stories done |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (days 1 to 5) | The daily list of finished meetings with notes. | US01 |
| 2 (days 6 to 10) | Drafts and CRM previews for real meetings; the rep sends a follow-up. | US02, US03, US04 |
| 3 (days 11 to 13) | Approving a preview writes to the CRM, and the manager sees the week. | US05, US06, US07 |
3. Schedule
One track per Feature. Red bars are the critical path. Dates derived from the start date, working days only.
| Story | Size | Days | Depends on | Track | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US01 Show today's finished meetings with their notes | M | 3 | none | A | day 1, 9 Mar | day 3, 11 Mar |
| US02 Draft a follow-up email from the meeting notes | M | 3 | US01 | B | day 4, 12 Mar | day 6, 16 Mar |
| US04 Show a CRM update preview for a finished meeting | M | 3 | US01 | A | day 4, 12 Mar | day 6, 16 Mar |
| US03 Send the follow-up after the rep edits it | M | 3 | US02 | B | day 7, 17 Mar | day 9, 19 Mar |
| US05 Apply the CRM update the rep approved | L | 5 | US04 | A | day 7, 17 Mar | day 11, 23 Mar |
| US06 Block the update when the contact has no CRM match | S | 2 | US04 | B | day 10, 20 Mar | day 11, 23 Mar |
| US07 Show the manager what was sent, applied and ignored | S | 2 | US03, US05 | A | day 12, 24 Mar | day 13, 25 Mar |
Critical path. US01, US04, US05, US07: 13 days. Total effort 21 days over 2 tracks.
Assumptions: 2 parallel tracks (a schedule assumption, not a staffing promise), five working days per week, checkpoints inside the stories' last day, no holidays counted. Start date 9 Mar 2026.
4. Items by epic
The plain sentence is always visible. The numbered sections open on demand.
Epic 1
Follow-up after customer meetings
After a customer meeting, the rep reviews a drafted follow-up and a proposed CRM update instead of writing both from scratch.
The numbered sections
- Why it exists. Late follow-ups are the most common reason deals go quiet, and reps lose time writing the same email and CRM note after every meeting.
- Goal. Reps send a reviewed follow-up quickly, and the CRM stays current without manual entry.
- Metrics.
- Share of follow-ups sent within 2 hours of the meeting end.
- Share of finished meetings with a current CRM update.
- Share of drafts the rep sends without rewriting the facts.
- In scope.
- Finished meeting list
- Draft
- Send
- CRM preview
- CRM apply
- Manager view
- Out of scope.
- Customer success meetings
- Scheduling the next meeting
- Editing another rep's records
- Risks.
- Risk: drafts contain unsourced facts. Mitigation: eval set with a 100 percent pass mark on never-cases before phase 1 exit.
- Risk: the CRM changes between preview and apply. Mitigation: re-read before write and stop on change.
- Risk: reps ignore the list. Mitigation: show it as the first screen they open.
F1.1
Meetings and notes
The rep sees which meetings just ended and what was noted in each.
The numbered sections
- Behavior.
- List finished meetings of the day.
- Show end time and attendees.
- Show a note excerpt.
- Refresh on open.
- Acceptance.
- A finished meeting appears within 15 minutes of its end (finding A2).
- A meeting with no notes is marked as such.
US01
Show today's finished meetings with their notes Phase 1, size M, 3 days, days 1 to 3
Each morning and after each meeting, the rep sees what happened in their meetings without opening three tools.
The numbered sections
- Statement. As an account executive, I want to see my finished meetings with their notes so that I can review them in one place.
- Why it exists. Without this list the assistant has nothing to draft from, and the rep keeps switching tools.
- Demo. The rep opens the list and sees today's meetings with notes.
- Acceptance.
- Each finished meeting appears with end time, attendees and a note excerpt.
- A meeting without notes is flagged.
- Only the rep's own meetings appear.
- Exceptions.
- Calendar unreachable: show the last good list with its timestamp.
- Traceability. Spec, capability meeting-intake.
F1.2
Follow-up draft and send
The rep gets a drafted follow-up, edits it and sends it from their own mailbox.
The numbered sections
- Behavior.
- Draft from notes.
- Show the facts used.
- Edit.
- Send from the rep's mailbox.
- Acceptance.
- No fact outside the notes and the CRM.
- Send only after an explicit rep action.
US02
Draft a follow-up email from the meeting notes Phase 1, size M, 3 days, days 4 to 6, after US01
After a meeting, the rep finds a ready draft of the follow-up email with the facts it used listed beside it.
The numbered sections
- Statement. As an account executive, I want a drafted follow-up so that I review instead of write.
- Why it exists. The draft is the main time saving, and listing the facts is how the rep trusts it.
- Demo. Open a finished meeting and read its draft with the sources shown.
- Acceptance.
- A draft exists for each meeting with notes.
- Each fact is listed with its source.
- No fact has no source.
- Exceptions.
- Notes too short: show a message instead of a draft.
- Traceability. Spec, capability follow-up-draft. Eval cases E01 to E06.
US03
Send the follow-up after the rep edits it Phase 2, size M, 3 days, days 7 to 9, after US02
The rep edits the draft and sends it, and nothing is ever sent without that action.
The numbered sections
- Statement. As an account executive, I want to send the follow-up from my own mailbox so that the customer hears from me.
- Why it exists. This is the one action that reaches the customer, so it is the autonomy boundary that matters most.
- Demo. Edit a draft, send it, and see it in the sent folder.
- Acceptance.
- Send runs only after an explicit rep action.
- The email leaves the rep's mailbox.
- The sent email id is stored in the trail.
- Exceptions.
- Mailbox error: keep the draft and show the error.
- Traceability. Spec, autonomy boundary "Ask first: send an email".
F1.3
CRM write-back
The assistant proposes the CRM update, shows it, and applies it only when the rep approves.
The numbered sections
- Behavior.
- Build a preview.
- Show old and new values with sources.
- Apply after approval.
- Stop if the record changed.
- Acceptance.
- No write without approval.
- Every write re-reads the record first.
US04
Show a CRM update preview for a finished meeting Phase 1, size M, 3 days, days 4 to 6, after US01
After a meeting, the rep sees exactly which CRM fields would change and why.
The numbered sections
- Statement. As an account executive, I want a CRM update preview so that I can approve changes quickly.
- Why it exists. The preview is what makes a write safe, and without it reps would not allow writes.
- Demo. Open a finished meeting and see each field with old and new values.
- Acceptance.
- Each field shows old value, new value and source.
- Nothing is written.
- Exceptions.
- Record locked: show a message.
- Traceability. Spec, capability crm-writeback.
US05
Apply the CRM update the rep approved Phase 2, size L, 5 days, days 7 to 11, after US04
When the rep approves a preview, the CRM is updated, and if the record changed in the meantime the update stops.
The numbered sections
- Statement. As an account executive, I want my approved update applied so that I do not retype it.
- Why it exists. This closes the loop and proves the autonomy contract holds when the system writes.
- Demo. Approve a preview and see the CRM change.
- Acceptance.
- Apply runs only after approval.
- The record is re-read before the write.
- The apply stops if the record changed since the preview.
- The result is recorded in the trail.
- Exceptions.
- CRM unavailable: keep the preview and retry later.
- Traceability. Spec, autonomy boundary "Ask first: write any field to the CRM". Built through the single write path described in the agent brief.
US06
Block the update when the contact has no CRM match Phase 2, size S, 2 days, days 10 to 11, after US04
If a meeting attendee is not a contact on the deal, the assistant does not propose an update and says why.
The numbered sections
- Statement. As an account executive, I want the assistant to refuse unmatched contacts so that it never changes the wrong record.
- Why it exists. Writing to the wrong deal is the failure reps fear most.
- Demo. Open a meeting with an unknown attendee and see the reason shown.
- Acceptance.
- With no matching contact on the deal, no preview is offered.
- The reason is shown.
- Exceptions.
- More than one possible match: ask the rep to choose.
- Traceability. Spec, autonomy boundary "Never: contact anyone who is not already a contact on the deal".
F1.4
Activity trail
The manager sees what the assistant suggested and what the reps did with it.
The numbered sections
- Behavior.
- Record every suggestion, send, apply and ignore with a timestamp.
- Show counts per rep per week.
- Acceptance.
- Counts reconcile with the trail for one week of test data.
US07
Show the manager what was sent, applied and ignored Phase 3, size S, 2 days, days 12 to 13, after US03, US05
The sales manager sees per rep, per week, how many suggestions were sent, applied or ignored.
The numbered sections
- Statement. As a sales manager, I want a weekly activity view so that I can coach follow-up habits.
- Why it exists. It is the measurement of the success criterion and the source for coaching.
- Demo. Pick a week and see counts per rep.
- Acceptance.
- Counts per rep for sent, applied and ignored.
- Counts reconcile with the trail.
- Exceptions.
- A week with no data shows zero, not an error.
- Traceability. Spec, capability activity-trail.
5. What already exists
Material ready before the start, and what each one saves.
| Material | What it saves |
|---|---|
| Calendar API access for reps | No new integration work for US01 |
| CRM sandbox | Safe testing of US04, US05, US06 |
6. Where it appears
Who sees it, in which channel, and what depends on another team.
| Touchpoint | Who sees it | Channel | Built by this backlog | Depends on another team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily list and drafts | Account executive | Web screen | Yes | No |
| Sent follow-up | Customer | Rep mailbox | Send action only | Mail admin must allow send as the rep |
| Weekly activity view | Sales manager | Web screen | Yes | No |
7. Glossary
No term appears in this document without being here.
| Term | Definition | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| CRM | The system where deals and contacts are recorded. | All |
| Draft | An email written by the assistant that the rep has not sent. | US02, US03 |
| Preview | A list of CRM changes shown before anything is written. | US04, US05 |
| Trail | The record of what was suggested, sent, applied and ignored. | US03, US05, US07 |
| Critical path | The longest chain of dependent stories, which sets the minimum duration. | Chapter 3 |
| Phase | A group of stories that goes to production together, with its own exit gate. | Chapter 2 |
| Exit gate | The check a phase must pass before the next phase starts. | Chapter 2 |
| Autonomy boundary | A written limit on what the assistant may do without asking. | Spec, US03, US05, US06 |
| Eval | A test of a probabilistic behavior against a set of real cases, scored as a pass rate. | Phase 1 exit, US02 |
| Track | One of the parallel lines of work in the schedule. A schedule assumption, not a staffing promise. | Chapter 3 |
8. Open items
What the backlog does not decide: the decisions, the findings from checking the artifacts, and what is already settled.
Cross-cutting decisions
| Id | Decision | Who answers | Needed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Can the assistant read transcripts as well as typed notes? | Sales operations | Phase 1 exit |
| D2 | Is a read receipt acceptable on follow-ups? | Sales manager | Phase 2 |
| D3 | How long is the trail kept? | Legal | Phase 3 |
Findings from the artifact check
| Id | Finding | Where it appeared | Effect on the plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | The CRM has two fields for deal value, and the spec names only one. | CRM sandbox, field list | US02 and US04 must read the field the spec names. Confirm with sales operations before US02 starts. |
| A2 | The notes tool returns notes up to 10 minutes after a meeting ends. | Notes tool test | The "appears within 5 minutes" criterion in F1.1 changed to "within 15 minutes" unless the notes tool is faster in production. |
Already decided
- The email is sent from the rep's own mailbox.
- Customer success meetings are out of this slice.
9. In the tracker
The order of creation, so links and iterations exist when the stories do.
The epic, then Features F1.1 to F1.4, then US01 to US07, then the dependency links, then the iteration assignment by phase. The tracker assigns its own codes at creation; the mapping from these ids to tracker codes is kept in the numbering register.
Gates run before generating this page
- Story days per epic match the budget (21)
- Story ids sequential from US01 to US07
- Every story has a phase, a plain sentence and its sections
- No dependency points to a later phase, an unknown id, or a cycle
- Every phase has a story and an exit gate
- Dates derived from the start date 2026-03-09, never typed
Method: prioritization and readable specs. Skill: spec-preview-html. Back to the field guide.